🚨 DC police responding to shooting on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest

There is an active shooting underway near several foreign embassies in northwest Washington, DC with at least 3 people shot, Washington’s Metropolitan Police spokesperson told Sputnik on Friday.

"We're responding to reports of shots fired... there has been three victims shot. We have two males and one female. I do not know their ages or conditions," the spokesman said.

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⚡️ Blinken, Ukrainian Prime Minister discuss aid for Kiev, Sanctions on Russia

🚫 Kentucky abortion law blocked 

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a state law that effectively eliminated abortions in Kentucky after the state’s two remaining clinics said they couldn’t meet its requirements.

The decision by US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings was a victory for abortion rights advocates and a setback for the Republican-led legislature, which passed the law in March and then overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the measure last week. Both of the clinics indicated Thursday that they would immediately resume abortion services.

The new law bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and requires women to be examined by a doctor before receiving abortion pills.

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✅ Philadelphia to end mask mandate, days after reinstating it

Philadelphia is ending its indoor mask mandate, city health officials said Thursday night, abruptly reversing course just days after people in the city had to start wearing masks again amid a sharp increase in infections. The acting health commissioner, Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, told the Board of Health at a public meeting that hospitalizations had unexpectedly gone down 25% in a matter of days.

The restaurant industry had pushed back against the city’s reimposed mask mandate, saying workers would bear the brunt of customer anger over the new rules. Several businesses and residents filed suit in state court in Pennsylvania seeking to overturn the renewed mandate. The Board of Health’s vote to rescind the mandate came after board members met in private to discuss the lawsuit.

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‼️ DC Police say fourth gunshot victim identified, not hospitalized

🗣 President Joe Biden visited Green River College in Washington on Friday to discuss lowering costs for American families, particularly for necessary medications and treatments. 

After his speech, he keeps trying to shake someone's hand and there's no one there, this is the second time that he wanted to shake hands with the void.

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🚧 Texas National Guard Says Soldier Missing on US Border With Mexico

"A Texas Army National Guard Soldier assigned to Operation Lone Star has gone missing along the river during a mission related incident, Friday April 22, 2022 in Eagle Pass, Texas," the Texas National Guard said in a press release.

The solider has not been found, but existing reports of a fatality are inaccurate at the moment. The Texas National Guard, including state and federal law enforcement, are working quickly to find the missing solider, the release added.

US media reported, citing multiple sources, the soldier had drowned while trying to save migrants themselves drowning in the river.

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🛩 A Tesla vehicle using ‘Smart Summon’ appears to crash into a $3.5 million private jet

A video was posted on Reddit that appears to show a Tesla vehicle slowly crashing into a $3.5 million private jet after being “summoned” by its owner using the automaker’s automatic parking feature. The Reddit use said the incident took place at an event sponsored by aircraft manufacturer Cirrus at Felts Field in Spokane, Washington.

A newer version of the Smart Summon feature enables owners to summon their Tesla vehicles from further away and can navigate more complex parking environments. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has described Smart Summon as the company’s “most viral feature ever.”

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😱🔥Person IGNITES themselves in front of Supreme Court in DC

An unidentified person was airlifted to a hospital after setting themselves on fire in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington DC on Friday.

The condition of said individual is unknown. So is their motivation.

The area remains closed for investigation.

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🗣'That's false': Trump tells WSJ he 'never claimed responsibility' for Capitol riot, contradicting McCarthy

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy previously claimed in a call to House GOP members that he had asked Trump personally that day whether he bore responsibility for the 6 January 2021 events.

“He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened,” McCarthy said.

The audio of the 11 January 2021 call was released Thursday night by media. During the call, McCarthy made a reference to impeachment proceedings against Trump, who was accused of "inciting insurrection" and ultimately acquitted in Senate, and said: “We know it’ll pass the House. I think there’s a chance it’ll pass the Senate.…The only discussion I would have with [Mr. Trump] is that I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign.”

Following the release of the audio, McCarthy and Trump had a conversation on Thursday night, and the ex-POTUS wasn’t angry, according to a person familiar with their conversation.

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😬The world's richest person, Elon Musk, has weirdly dissed Bill Gates' paunch on Twitter, posting a photo of the Microsoft founder alongside a pregnant man emoji.

"In case u need to lose a b*ner fast," Musk tweeted.

The ball is in Bill's court now 👀

WATCH: Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters, which destroyed Ukrainian military equipment and an outpost, in action.

📍Russia's Defence Ministry delivers daily morning briefing on the Ukraine op:

▪️Russian Aerospace Forces hit 11 Ukrainian military objects overnight;

▪️Ukrainian Su-25 jet was shot down by Russian air defences over Kharkov region;

▪️Two Ukrainian Tochka U missiles were intercepted in the air;

▪️Russian missile forces and artillery performed 1,098 fire tasks over the past 24 hours, having destroyed three Mi-8 helicopters;

▪️Three Ukrainian missile and artillery weapons depots were destroyed.

In total, 141 Ukrainian planes, 110 helicopters, 538 drones, 261 anti-aicraft missile systems, 2,471 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 274 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,075 field artillery and mortars, as well as 2,311 special military vehicles have been destroyed since the launch of the special operation, the Russian MoD said.

A Mariupol resident says Ukrainian troops deployed weapons in residential areas and shelled residential buildings.

She says even though her apartment has no windows now, her neighbourhood was relatively well preserved, since the DPR militia and the Chechen forces arrived there quickly.

⚡️⚡️ US planning provocations to accuse Russian forces of using WMDs in Ukraine, Russian MoD warns